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My latest lesson from both the NANO and GEAR experiences indicates that
PPQA should be implemented early and incrementally, especially in “Agile-
like” organizations that have misunderstandings of agility and are in need of
increased discipline. However, in doing so, PPQA checklists must remain con-
sistently aligned with the incrementally deployed practices.
10.4 What Have We Learned about Measurement?
Measurement is critical to both Agile approaches and the CMMI. The
CMMI reminds us of the importance of measurement through the Mea-
surement and Analysis (MA) and Quantitative Project Management (QPM)
Process Areas. From MA, we learn the importance of establishing measure-
ment objectives first, and then aligning our measures with those objectives.
From QPM, we learn the importance of selecting subprocesses for statisti-
cal management.
From the Agile side and our experiences (LACM procurement case study, golf
improvement project), we have learned the importance of deriving context-
relevant specific measures and the importance of acting on that data in a
timely manner to achieve real improvements that help people every day.
Often in large high-tech organizations, effective use of measures tends to
focus on the long-term trends and improvements. This is certainly an impor-
tant aspect of measurement. However, the CMMI model was not intended to
be limited in its use to only long-term improvements. It can and should be
used to help projects and people every day. This is a value Agile can bring to
help the CMMI.
From our Agile Principles, and our experiences, we have learned that mea-
sures can be implemented at varying degrees of formality, and that less
formal measures used every day in making decisions are often best imple-
mented by knowing what questions to ask, who to ask, and when to ask
them. Refer to Figure 10-1.
Throughout this topic, I have shared many practical and proven measure-
ment techniques implemented by asking the right question at the right time.
The CMMI helps us know what the right questions are. Our Agile experi-
ences help us better understand when those questions should be asked, and
when related actions should be taken.
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